U.S. proposes hostage-to-prisoner ratio in Gaza truce talks

24/3/2024 6:31

        The United States has made a "bridging proposal" for the number of jailed Palestinians to be released by Israel in exchange for every hostage freed by Hamas in any new Gaza truce, an Israeli official briefed on the Qatar-hosted talks said on Saturday.
        
        An Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea has been in Doha for indirect negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which CIA director William Burns is helping Qatari and Egyptian officials to mediate.
        
        Hamas wants to parlay any deal into a permanent end to the fighting - short of a formal peace, as the Islamist group is sworn to Israel's destruction. Israel plans to pursue the war until Hamas's governing and military capacities are dismantled.
        
        "During the negotiations, significant gaps came to light on the question of the ratio" of prisoners to be released for each of the 40 hostages whose potential recovery is under discussion, said an Israeli official, who requested anonymity.